By Dennis Finocchiaro
Special to LE FLORIDIEN
Vanessa Demosthene is a Haitian-American small-business owner and nurse on the frontline who has made her passion for paper and pens into a small business.
Like many Haitians, she was raised by strict parents “who were all about [her] being the best student possible.” Her father came to the U.S. first and after he got settled sent for Vanessa and her mother. They moved from Haiti to Queens when she was two.
At age 15, her family bought a house in Virginia, and when she turned 20, she left home and moved to the Philadelphia area, where she is currently a nurse working the frontlines of COVID-19.
She doesn’t remember much about Haiti, but celebrates her heritage. “I am a proud Haitian all day, every day. I speak Kreole, cook Haitian food. Haitian is what I am, it is in my blood, and I carry that with pride.”
She started her stationary website, called Paper & Stylo, in March, just before the pandemic. “it was a little slow in the beginning but God lead me to start this business and I prayed every day over it.”
Imagine that. Starting a business right before a worldwide pandemic? Of course it started slow. Then something changed for Demosthene.
Her business was shared by popular Podcasters Sherry and John of YoungHouseLove. “I still do not have the right words to describe what I felt that day…my audience literally grew overnight. Not only that, the people who joined my page also [bought] me out! I was scared, excited, and grateful all at once! I ended up running into a private area at work to pray and thank God because I still do not know how YoungHouseLove found me, but God does and I am grateful to Him.” She was so busy that she had to get her husband, relatives and friends to help.
Her passion for stationary started at a young age, and was handed down to her through her parents. Their focus on education, and equally important, Vanessa’s penmanship, created a passion for choosing the right writing instrument. “It was always the 3 Ls. Lakay, Lekol, Leglize” she added.
“If I did not write my math homework neatly enough, my father would make me re-do it, regardless of the answers being correct. That lead to me perfecting my penmanship which leads to me growing to love specific pens. I basically followed my father. He loves a good gel pen, and I can’t write the same without one. I then just grew in love with stationery and would request specific loose-leaf paper for school.” Now she passes this on to her own toddler.
Demosthene only sells products that she has tested herself and found to be the best. “My first point in decision making is quality, along with how the product looks.” The quality is obvious from the pictures, which she takes herself when the lighting is right on her balcony.
She is also a supporter of healthy hobbies, something everyone needs right now with everything going on. She calls a healthy hobby “any hobby that is safe, encourages happiness and diminishes bad stress.” This can include journaling, and that is the hobby she hopes more people will start during the pandemic, and continue to do so when it is all over.
She stated, “My healthy hobby is not as adventurous: it is journaling. I always enjoyed writing my thoughts down on paper or even prayers and to express my emotions with no limitations.”
I asked her what she writes about. “Everything. Good and bad. About what I am thinking, all usually meant for God. They’re like prayers. To be honest, I literally feel better when I finish an entry.”
I was also curious, as someone who sells stationary and was known in school for her pencil cases, what hers was like. “Full! I carry it to work, I used to color code my personal papers, now I stick to blue and black. When I was in school…my notes would be color-coded, like a rainbow, but neat so everyone would be able to copy my notes and study from them.”
That is clearly someone with a passion for stationary.
Paper & Stylo can be found online at https://paperandstylo.com.